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Welcome all to the Sweet Silk blog page! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Shefalee Patel and I’m the owner and founder of Sweet Silk. Through this blog I will share antidotes from inside the kitchen and behind the scenes…from our adventures, journeys, discoveries, fascinations, influences and inspirations…truly all the makings of Sweet Silk. I will also share exclusive insights on our new creations from flavor combinations to our specialty packaging and a little glimpse of all those a part of the Sweet Silk family.

What makes Diwali such a widespread holiday? Each culture, religion and family brings their own significance as to how they commemorate this special time of the year. It is truly a multifaceted event. Still, certain festivities and traditions universally epitomize this holiday; lighting a diyas (oil lamps) or candles, skies filled with fireworks, colorful rangoli designs, social gatherings, exchange of greetings and notably, the sharing of sweets.

At Sweet Silk, we believe it is important to continue to honor our rich history, traditions and culture by carrying them out from generation to generation. This belief is what initially inspired me to create a collection of sweets that is a refined and a healthier version of classic Indian mithai. I hoped by creating sweets that appeal to a modern palate in lovely gift boxes, it would help to spark a nostalgic memory of growing up. It’s those happy moments that stay with us and is what I imagine will help continue the tradition that a celebration is never complete without a little something sweet.

So every Diwali, we offer festive sweet gift boxes, created by my very own sister and partner Sheila of okSheila, that will be the perfect addition to your Diwali celebrations or as a gift to send to friends and family.

My family is very close knit and very big! Every year we all find a way to get together for the holidays. I love how with every generation the celebrations and traditions grow and our story of Diwali evolves. So when the lovely ladies from Bharat Babies reached out to me to collaborate for a special Diwali gift, I immediately knew it would be perfect fit. The book entitled “Let’s Celebrate Diwali” is a unique tale that tells the story of Diwali from four different faith traditions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism. In this story, we meet four children who eagerly tell their classmates how they celebrate Diwali with their families. This vibrantly illustrated book helps educate our younger generation and is great way for them learn about the diversity of this wonderful holiday.

What makes Bharat Babies so unique is that they produce developmentally appropriate children’s books that tell the stories of India. the company started after Founder, Sailaja Joshi, was trying to register for her baby shower and found no appropriate children’s books about her Indian heritage. Not like the stories that were out there, she decide to write her own. Joining forces with her sister and friend, Bharat Babies has formed in 2014. Since its founding, they have put out 4 different books which celebrate India’s beautiful and diverse culture. I absolutely adore the Diwali book and look forward to sharing all of their stories with my nieces and nephews. Even more so, I admire these driven women entrepreneurs that share in our mission! I encourage you all to visit Bharat Babies to learn more about their story and their books.

This Diwali, be sure to take the time to honor your past and create new memories with all your loved ones.

The inspiration behind this gift set started back in early March, on Women’s Day. It’s a day that started out to celebrate women’s equality and has evolved into a celebration of achievements by women from around the world. I read stories online about the many womens’ accomplishments and how many of their success was due to support and collaboration of other women. This sparked an idea, “Why not work together with other women who own small business to help each other and build awareness of our companies.”

I was just starting to develop plans for upcoming sales and as discussion came up about Mother’s Day, I thought it would be a great avenue to explore my idea to collaborate with other women. I wanted to create something that not only would work well as gift set but that had a good synergy of our missions and design style for a cohesive gift.

Sweets & Chai Gift Set

My first thought was what would complement our sweets and something a mother would enjoy. Immediately I thought of teas. Lucky for me, I happen to hear about a fairly new tea company called Chai Diaries through the South Asian Young Women Entrepreneur organization. Upon meeting the owner, Ami Bhansali and hearing her story and mission behind her company, I felt instant connection. So of course I was excited when she loved my idea and agreed to collaborate on the Mother’s Day gift.

She shared with me how she grew up around tea estates and ended up, after her own personal journey, found herself following in her father’s footsteps working with tea. She believes in sincerity and sells only her own personal selection of directly sourced blended teas and herbs. She also believes a nice cup of tea can evoke sincere emotions, help you enjoy a pause an even help feel reborn.

I sampled many of her teas and then began pairing them with different sweets. When I discovered that so many of her teas were a great complement to our sweets, I didn’t know how to narrow down to few selections for our gift set. Since I know most people will ask me, I found my favorite to be the Classic Breakfast due its subtle hints of spice, a little nutty undertone and smooth finish. However, I loved all the other teas as well and this coming from a die-hard coffee drinker!

Mother’s Day Card created by Aayan Creations exclusively for Sweet Silk

I know that no gift is truly complete without a card to give it that personal touch. I had been already working with Shruti Sharma from Aayan Creations on creating cards for Sweet Silk, so it was a no brainer to have her create an exclusive gift card for our Mother’s Day gift set. I love how all of her invitations are unique with attention to so much detail. What initially drew me to her is how she, like me, started off in a completely different field but decided to pursue her passion. She incorporates South-Asian cultures and traditions into her designs and create unique and innovative concepts based on the personality and desires of each of her clients. I especially love the intricate vintage Indian sari patterns that she envelopes in an elegant and modern way. However, what I find most inspiring (and why I felt she was another perfect collaboration), is that she not only is a women entrepreneur but a mother of a 6-year old boy (the namesake of her company).

Aayan Creation Invitation

I am so excited to present and share these artisanal products from three women who reinvented themselves to create and share their passion with others. This is not just another gift set or sales campaign. This gift lovingly made by each one of us for our true inspiration, backbone and the ultimate unsung hero……Mom.

At the start of new year we tend to have a renewed sense of hope…establish goals we want accomplish….set resolutions to help better our selves. We feel full of excitement and motivation to tackle on any challenges that may come our way…because we’re determined to make this year better than the last. This feeling of new beginnings reminds me of how in the start of 2010, we embarked on a new venture and how Sweet Silk was born.

I had come with the idea and concept of creating refined or elegant Indian sweets in 2009 after returning from working in Dubai. I was inspired by all the gorgeous European chocolate and confectionaries I visited while I lived there. I also rediscovered all the rich ingredients and spices that make Middle Eastern and Indian sweets so unique. So, as my first catering “job”, I decided to create my version of indian sweets “dressed up” like petite fours for my best friend’s wedding. I created my fist two sweet flavors based on the flavors my friend and her husband loved; coconut with cardamom and dark chocolate ganache and Mejdool dates with hint of rose and studded with pistachios. I decorated each sweet with fondant flowers and bows and packaged the two sweets inside favor gift boxes my sister and I designed inspired by the blue and silver art deco dress of the bride. Each guest received a box that was inscribed with a message from the bride and groom.

I never imagined it would take 4 continuous days for me to execute this plan, but once we saw the reaction on everyone’s face at the wedding and got positive feedback on taste, we knew it was worth every minute. That was when we knew we may be on the verge of something big!

So the start of 2010 my brother, my sister and I decided to pool together our talents, brainstorm and work together to make this vision come to life. All of January, we worked on a ideas, mission, company name and branding during the nights and I’d experiment with my mom and aunts during the day to develop my recipes and sweet flavors. In February, we conducted our first focus group where we had guests conduct a survey on everything from taste to aesthetics. Fueled with motivation and positive feedback, we kept moving full steam ahead in the coming months by obtaining our business license, making our sweets in a commercial kitchen, landing more catering jobs and continuing to collaborate to refine all of our ideas. Before we knew it summer flew by and in August we decided to take the leap and launch our first product line for sale with party in NYC. Shortly after we got our website up and running and began selling our Signature Collection online in time for Diwali. We even got an amazing feature in the New York Times before Christmas which helped spread the word about Sweet Silk throughout the country. We even got an order from someone in Japan who read about our story!

As fun and exhilarating as that first year was for all of us, it wasn’t short of its unforeseen challenges, hard work and many sleepless nights. Aside from obvious struggles of starting a new business, I faced some personal struggles with a complete change in my career and lifestyle. I wasn’t prepared for constantly having to prove myself or my vision to those who I thought would be supportive and understanding. At moments I found myself even struggling with self doubt. ”What was I thinking to do this in my 30′s!!” However, through it all I had to keep reminding myself why I started Sweet Silk. I knew I didn’t want keep working in “jobs” or have a career took over my life for sake of making hefty paycheck and……rather work for something I believe in and enjoy creating and sharing something I love.

I discovered along the way, that I wasn’t the only one facing these issues but many of my own peers and college friends who’ve made some life changing transitions have faced similar challenges. I was introduced to Vitra Singh by a good friend and found out that she had been going through similar struggles. She found herself inspired by many people she’s met and spoke to along way and was compelled to share these stories in a book to help others considering a life change and begin “Living Life For Yourself, Not Your Job”.

In this book, Vitra Singh shares the stories of 24 people who courageously reinvented their careers in a way that worked for them. Whether they turned a hobby into a full-time job, tried various avenues until they found a passion, or were forced to figure it out when life got in the way. Their journeys prove ordinary people like you and me can change the course of our careers if we want it badly enough. While it may be easy to stay in your current job, this book inspires you to start exploring a profession that will give you a sense of purpose and joy. This book shares the experiences of each of these individuals—their frustrations, fears, doubts, and strength as they boldly transformed the quality of their lives by refusing to settle for their 9 to 5 job.

I was honored to be included as one of those 24 people in this book where I was asked to answer some hard questions and reveal personal feelings and struggles. In some way having her ask me these questions and reading about the others who went through similar struggles helped me battle with own issues and made me stronger for it. I have to admit that through it all, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish or got this far without the help of my family, especially my sibling partners.

So for anyone else out there wanting to make some big changes or start a new path in 2013……read Vitra’s book or talk to others that may be able to help or provide source of inspiration…..and at the risk of sounding cliche….don’t hesitate and doubt yourself…JUST DO IT!

I know its been sometime since I have shared a post on the blog, but its been a very busy, eventful and unpredictable holiday season so far! So here’s a recap:

Here at Sweet Silk, our Holiday Season officially begins in fall in time for Diwali and Indian New Year. We were on a roll with events and markets and exclusive sales in NYC and online. We even started off the season by receiving a great honor at the USIN Celebrations Gala, hosted by Uma Sengupta at the World’s Fair Marina, from the City of New York with a citation for exemplary achievement as a small business owner.

Receiving honor from City of New York @USIN Celebrations Diwali Gala

Then it came….what is now deemed as a super storm….Hurricane Sandy. NYC and the metro area was hit harder and damage done was something this area was not at all prepared for. Somehow, we were one of few lucky ones as our kitchen and home were not greatly affected by the storm. We kept going and later that week, still managed to get out our first round of Diwali shipments and deliver our sweets for a wedding in far end of Long Island with only a quarter tank of gas, fearful of being stranded!

I guess it was fitting that our Diwali Sweet Gift boxes this year were inspired by the colors of a flickering flame because this Diwali that is exactly how many celebrated….under a flickering light from candles.

Diwali Sweet Gift Box

As we continued on in the coming weeks, there were still many complications from the storm ranging from a lack of available public transportation, road closures, gas shortages, delays in shipments and receiving of materials to being short on man power. But in the midst of it all this, we had a nice surprise with a great mention in the Wall Street Journal about our sweets for Diwali. Somehow, regardless of the storm-related headaches, we had one of our best sales ever!

After grueling non-stop few weeks, I finally took a break to attend the Varli Culinary Awards in NYC. Earlier in September, Sweet Silk was a part of the cook off challenge that was judged by well-known chefs and culinary writers such as Chef Jeganhir Mehta. We were asked to create a dessert that showcased our talent or specialty using spices commonly used in Indian cuisine. Were asked to include cardamom, ginger and chili in our dessert. I had created a play off milk and cookies with a Indian twist. My cookie was a more of a cookie bar, which was made of ginger orange cookie crust, topped with a layer of my coconut cardamom sweet and then a layer of dark chocolate ganache infused with red chili with candied ginger pieces on top. To wash down the cookie, I paired it with my version of “Masala Milk”, which was milk steeped with cardamom and vanila but then spiked with almond and orange liquor and topped with slivers of pistachio and almond.

Sweet Silk Dessert for the Varli Culinary Competition

Arriving a bit late to the event, just after still fulfilling last minute Diwali orders and requests, I sat in back of the room watching the award ceremony only to hear my name being called as winner for Best Dessert & Pastry!!! It was a wonderful unexpected surprise but an amazing way to celebrate all the hard and challenges we had just endured! Thank you to everyone who voted for us and supported us!

I have to admit that come Thanksgiving when I finally had moment to relax with my family and reflect and I was overwhelmed with happiness and gratitude. I has grateful for all the blessings, family, support I had this year. I also felt so blessed to have been able to walk away from the storm without any horror stories and made sure to find ways to help those in need by providing donations to Red Cross and much needed supplies to many of the drop off location in NYC & NJ.

As we continue on this holiday season into Christmas, I want to continue to give back and support those in need by donating a portion of our sales. So this year we will be donating a portion of our holiday sales again to a great organization called SOS Children’s Village. SOS Children’s Villages is the world’s largest charity dedicated to orphaned and abandoned children. Present in 133 countries, SOS has 540 children’s villages, with over 40 villages in India.

The full moon of the Hindu month of Shraavana is approaching and will undoubtedly shine to remind us the importance of the timeless bond between brothers and sisters. My sisters and I, and like most Indian families across the globe, celebrate this festive day, known as Rakshabandhan, with a promise to always embrace and share love for one another and to protect each other from harm’s way. The sanctity of this promise is traditionally exchanged when sisters tie a rakhi and feed their brothers sweets and the brothers provide a small gift and prayer.

I have been blessed with many sisters and sister-cousins in my family and every year I look forward to enjoying more time with them all. I have also been fortunate this year to spend a lot more with my big sis, Shef, as we work daily to expand Sweet Silk. She has always been a role model in my life and is the “glue” that keeps our family so close. She has the charisma, imagination and intelligence of a born leader and has always been successful in all her endeavors. She remains humble on her latest success and she continues to create new confections on the same premise as she started, “sweets should not only excite your palate but should try to capture the significance of love and traditions that we share with another.” I’m looking forward to excitement ahead and I know I’m truly blessed to be working alongside my best friend and sharing the same goal.

Tradition of tying rakhi during Rakshabandhan

So, whether it may be sending sweets, tying a rakhi, a kind greeting or a phone call, I hope everyone expresses their love towards one another every day. For it can only help brighten dark times.

Lately we’ve been featuring lots of truffles at the Sweet Silk Shop. It all started back during the Christmas holiday sale to our aphrodisiac fruit truffles for Valentines Day and then just recently featured our latest Coconut Cashew Truffles in collaboration with Nuts+Nuts. So for Easter, it was without a doubt that truffles were going to be the feature again!

This time, inspired by spring, I wanted these truffles to be bright in flavor and color…so I decided to feature all fruit filled truffles for our limited edition Easter Gift Boxes.

I always get a little excited to see all the pretty pastel displays and decor as Easter approaches. I especially love the gorgeous bonnets that women wear to church with those huge bows! Its not just the fluffy, puffy and gooey (like those Cadbury eggs) during this time of year that always makes me feel happy and even a little giddy. It is also the evident blossoming change of seasons and watching the earth spring to life. So to pass on a little of my Easter happiness to you all, I rolled each truffle in delicate pastel sugars and encased all of them in an eco-friendly ballotin candy box and tied it with a big jute ribbon. I also thought it would be great to offer sweets that were still vegan friendly & gluten-free so that everyone can enjoy a yummy Easter treat!

I also think the unseasonable early warm weather got me a little extra happy, so everyone gets free shipping for all Fruit Truffle Gift Box orders to anywhere in Continental US! So visit our online shop to place your order soon as sale ends April 2nd!

Recently, my brother came up to me and said “Hey have you ever heard of these guys…their cashews look soooo good….let’s try them!”. He was referring to the Brooklyn based artisanal cashew company Nuts+Nuts. This Brooklyn based artisanal cashew company provides the freshest cashews that are farm direct from Indonesian. They offer a variety of snack packs filled with roasted cashews blends based on their own family recipes made with local, fresh and all-natural ingredients.

We ordered their sampler pack, which came with 4 snack packs with a variety of roasted cashews: Spicy, Honey Sesame, Sweet & Salty and Lightly Salted. We devoured them all immediately upon receiving them! I loved the quality of their packaging to maintain freshness of the amazing quality of cashews. Our favorites were the Spicy cashews, that had a tangy kick, and the Honey Sesame cashews, which were crunchy sweet!

Since we loved the cashews so much, we decided to try using Nuts+Nuts plain roasted cashews to make some of our sweets. Once I received these gorgeous cashews, I began testing them out for some of our sweets. Maybe it was the fact that that the cashews looked like they’ve been soaking up some rays in a tropical paradise to get that perfect golden tan or the Asian influence of Nuts+Nuts flavors, but I had an idea. ”Why not highlight the deep roasted nutty flavor” and thus shortly after, I began creating a variety of cashew truffles! These truffles have a soft cashew filling that is made with the same technique as our sweets to obtain that fudge like texture but coated in chocolate and rolled with a topping.

We contacted one of the owners, Cyrilla Suwarsa, to see if she would be interested in trying out our new creations and collaborate with us. After meeting Cyrilla, hearing her story and knowing her and her husband really enjoyed our Coconut Cashew Truffle, I knew we had a great match! Not only do our products complement each other, but I was especially drawn to our similarities as women entrepreneurs with a family operated business.

Cyrilla started Nuts+Nuts with her sister Caecilia to help provide much needed support to local famers in Indonesia to create high-grade cashew nuts. The sisters teamed up with an expert in agriculture to work together with these farmers in a symbiotic relationship. The cashew nuts are purchased directly from the farmers and are cured with a unique and special family recipe in small batches to create delicious, freshly roasted snacks, using only natural ingredients and no preservatives. It was unfortunately in 2003 when Cyrilla was diagnosed with Lupus that led to this collaboration with her sister, but now through Nuts+Nuts, both sisters aim to raise awareness about Lupus and give courage, comfort, and strength to all those who suffer from the disease. Additionally, Nuts+Nuts hopes to foster the cashew nuts industry in Indonesia, providing the farmers with additional knowledge about agriculture and allowing their children to have a better education and a brighter future.

So we thought we’d share our discovery and have teamed up with Nuts+Nuts to offer a sweet & savory gift! Sweet Silk presents our new Coconut Cashew Truffles that are made using Nuts+Nuts plain roasted cashews with a pinch of cardamom, dipped in milk chocolate and rolled in coconut. Inspired by the organic nature of the product and the company’s mission, we’ve packaged our treats in a kraft ballotin truffle box tied with raffia ribbons.

So, maybe you can’t take a tropical vacation, but you can take your palate on a journey through Indonesia & India! So visit our online shop to purchase a gift box of our Coconut Cashew Truffles (gluten-free!) along with Spicy and Honey Sesame snack packs from Nuts+Nuts for your own escape or as a gift for someone who may need a delicious getaway!

Inspired by the great feedback from our Vegan Fruit Collection, I decided to continue experimenting to create more vegan sweets. I always knew dried fruits were nature’s candies but I also learned that many of them are even considered aphrodisiacs! This inspired me to create something extra special just for Valentine’s Day!

So, I decided to take our formula for the Vegan Collection sweets, using Indian and Middle Eastern influences and ingredients with all natural dried fruits, and transform them in to truffles! I coated each truffle in only 70% cocoa of Valrhona chocolate and rolled each in a different topping. I used only dark chocolate as I believe it is chocolate in one of its richest, purest form and most powerful aphrodisiac!

The results were 5 seemingly sinful new array of gluten-free Vegan Truffles:

Here are just some of the interesting facts I learned about the natural aphrodisiac affects of the fruits, spices and chocolate used in the truffles:

Chili Peppers have a wonderful attribute in their ability to release endorphins, get the heart pumping and make lips swell to full kissable pout! The capsaicin they contain is responsible for the effects and is also a good pain reliever triggered to put out internal “fire.” Endorphins also cause the high of extreme physical exertion — a floating, energized feeling.

Cardamom is an aromatic spice high in cineole, which can increase blood flow. Certain cultures deem it a powerful aphrodisiac and also claim it is beneficial in treating impotence.

Vanilla has and intoxicating, warm, sensual scent that has been known to captivate everyone from times of the Mayan and Aztec Indians and continues to drawn us in with its perfume in the modern times. It is known to have a euphoric affect on the brain that soothes emotional tension, reduces anxiety, stress and stimulates circulation. It is also said to have different arousing affects on women and men.

Honey is sticky, sweet, and sensuous, honey contains natural sugars that can give you a fast energy boost. It is is rich in B vitamins (needed for testosterone production) as well as boron (helps the body metabolize and use estrogen). In ancient Persia, couples drank mead every day for a month (known as the “honey month” — a.k.a. “honeymoon”) after they married in order to get in the right frame of mind for a successful marriage.

Rose Oil is sensual and evocative and has been used since ancient times as a favorite ingredient in love potions. The time honored tradition of giving roses to a loved one may have it’s basis in the fact the scent of roses evokes emotions of love, calmness, and lifts depression emotions that block arousal

Pine Nuts have been used to stimulate the libido since Medieval times. Like oysters, they too are high in zinc needed for male vigor and stamina. Pine nuts have been used for centuries to make up love potions.

Figs have a sweet dark flesh with a honey scent, and a unique texture to the tongue. These soft sweet fruits, full of small seeds that has ancient reference with fertility and love. They also full of antioxidants and are the richest sources of calcium, fiber, magnesium, manganese, copper, potassium and vitamin K.

Cherries are said to stimulate pheromone production. Plus, they provide potassium which is required for sexual hormone production. There’s an abundance of antioxidants in the little fruits, helping to keep your skin youthfully beautiful and your energy level high!

Apricots are soft little fruits are packed with beauty-enhancing nutrients and beta-carotene – a potent antioxidant. They are also a good source of iron, a key nutrient for fertility in women.

Chocolate in all its deliciousness is always the topic of debate for being true aphrodisiac. From a scientific standpoint, it contains both Serotonin and Phenylethylamine, which are mood-lifting hormones found naturally in the human brain. When we consume chocolate, we increase our normal levels of both, which leads to that feeling of excitement, as well as an increased level of energy and libido. So although chocolate may or may not be a true aphrodisiac, it certainly does have some aphrodisiac properties. After all, it makes us feel good all over — much like being in love!

This Valentine’s, surprise your sweetheart or someone special with an out-of-the-ordinary box of sweets. Each of one of our slender white or red gift boxes come with our five vegan truffles filled with all-natural aphrodisiacs that are sure to impress (and maybe knock some socks off)! However, due to limited offer and quantity, these truffles will exclusively be available by special order till Feb. 13th!!*

To pick up a box just swing by the EnamorMe gift shop in NJ from Feb. 9th – Feb. 14th or at the “Sweets for your Sweet – Food Artisan Market” this Sunday, Feb. 12th in Astoria at The Queens Kickshaw.

*Contact order@savorsweetsilk to place a special or custom order for Valentine’s Day and to arrange delivery, shipment or NYC pickup for your order. Each truffle box is $12 and comes with 5 truffles in your choice of red or white flip box tied in a satin ribbon.

We started off the new year with a different kind of celebration! Our party was to celebrate the 1 year anniversary of the kitchen space, The Entrepreneur’s Space, officially becoming an incubator funded by the Queen’s Economic Development Corporation. Along with many of our fellow chefs, bakers, entrepreneurs, we had the chance to really showcase our delicious creations. We were all on hand chatting with press, vendors and local foodies all whilst stuffing our face at the same time. Some of our sweet favorites were Lomaxine’s Orange Pistachio shortbread style cookies, Krumville’s gluten-free muffins!

Sweet Silk used this opportunity to introduce our latest collection, the Vegan Fruit Collection. This collection is made using all natural ingredients that contain no dairy products, no eggs, no preservatives or additives, no sugar and they are all gluten-free like all of our sweets. We’ve taken luscious organic dried fruits, such as dates, apricots and figs, and simply enhanced its own natural sweetness with hints of spices, vanilla, rose oil or touch of honey and added a bit of crunch with tiny pieces of pistachios, cashews or pine nuts. These dried fruits have been a staple in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean diets for centuries. It is no wonder why, as they retain all the beneficial nutrients of the fruit and are great source of magnesium, potassium, iron, calcium, manganese, fiber and vitamin A & K.

Whether you are a vegan, watching your sugar intake or just looking for a low fat way to crave that sweet tooth…go ahead and indulge…these sweets are guilt free and good for you!

I can’t believe how quickly this year has gone by and that the Christmas holidays are approaching. This time of year always makes me reflect back and I am reminded of all that I am thankful for. It has definitely been a great year for Sweet Silk and I am overwhelmed by all the love and support from my amazing family and friends, all of the encouraging feedback and complements from our customers, all the press and awareness of our company through just word of mouth. I feel so thankful that I felt it was important to give back. So this year Sweet Silk will donate portions of the holiday sale to an amazing organization called SOS Children’s Village. SOS Children’s Villages is the world’s largest charity dedicated to orphaned and abandoned children.

I first learned of SOS through my best friend who recently began volunteering for SOS. I was particularly drawn to this organization because their mission is to build families for orphaned or abandoned children, help keep siblings together and build homes, education facilities and even entire communities. SOS originated in Austria in 1949 (after World War II) and spread to India in 1964, when the first SOS Village was built in Greenfields (in the suburbs of Delhi). Since, they have expanded to spread their efforts worldwide and are now present in 133 countries with over 540 Children’s Villages. SOS now has the largest presence, with 40 Children’s Villages, in India (where over 20 million children lost their parents).

Family and especially the bond between siblings is one of the most important things for any child and it has been for me as well. So, I thought this was a great opportunity for me to not only help spread the word but support a great cause. Please take the time to read more about SOS Children’s Villages at www.SOS-INDIA.org.

This holiday season spread the joy by sending someone a Sweet Silk Holiday Gift Box and help SOS in their efforts to help children all over the world.